Nanomaterials (Oct 2021)

Three-Dimensional Superhydrophobic Hollow Hemispherical MXene for Efficient Water-in-Oil Emulsions Separation

  • Haoran Chen,
  • Riyuan Wang,
  • Weiming Meng,
  • Fanglin Chen,
  • Tao Li,
  • Dingding Wang,
  • Chunxiang Wei,
  • Hongdian Lu,
  • Wei Yang

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/nano11112866
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 11, no. 11
p. 2866

Abstract

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A superhydrophobic macroporous material composed of hollow hemispherical MXene (HSMX) was synthesized by the thermal annealing of MXene-wrapped cationic polystyrene spheres (CPS@MXene). Notably, the spherical MXene shells exhibited highly efficient catalysis of the carbonization of CPS into carbon nanoparticles. Their insertion into the interlayer of MXene increased the d-spacing and created hollow hemispheres. The as-prepared HSMX with nanoscale walls had a lower packing density than MXene, but higher porosity, total pore volume, and total pore area. Moreover, the stacking of hollow hemispheres promoted the formation of a highly undulating macroporous surface and significantly improved the surface roughness of the HSMX-based 3D membrane, resulting in superhydrophobicity with a water contact angle of 156.4° and a rolling angle of 6°. As a result, the membrane exhibited good separation efficiency and Flux for emulsifier-stabilized water-in-paraffin liquid emulsions, which was dependent on its superhydrophobic performance and strong demulsification ability derived from the razor effect originating from the ultrathin walls of HSMX. This work provides a facile approach for the transformation of highly hydrophilic 2D MXene into superhydrophobic 3D HSMX, and opens a new pathway for the development of advanced MXene-based materials for environmental remediation applications.

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